Migrating Faculty Publications from a Department Website to an Institutional Repository

In October 2013, George Washington University\u27s School of Public Health and Health Services (now the Milken Institute School of Public Health) approached the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library about moving a large collection of Health Policy Department publications and citations from the school\u27s website into the Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC) institutional repository. After a project planning meeting with the school\u27s representative, library staff began uploading documents and citations from the collection. Working from a spreadsheet and file set provided by the school, library staff processed 604 citations (including 319 full-text files) dating back to 1996. Despite some problem files and citations, the majority were added to HSRC between November 2013 and April 2014. The successful completion of this project led to increased exposure of faculty research through standardized metadata, search engine optimization, and inclusion of research in the Digital Commons Network. Additionally, the establishment of new partnerships between the library and the public health school opened the door to future scholarly communications collaborations

The effectiveness of faecal removal methods of pasture management to control the cyathostomin burden of donkeys

Background: The level of anthelmintic resistance within some cyathostomin parasite populations has increased to the level where sole reliance on anthelmintic-based control protocols is not possible. Management-based nematode control methods, including removal of faeces from pasture, are widely recommended for use in association with a reduction in anthelmintic use to reduce selection pressure for drug resistance; however, very little work has been performed to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of such methods.<p></p> Methods: We analysed data obtained from 345 donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary (Devon, UK), managed under three different pasture management techniques, to investigate the effectiveness of faeces removal in strongyle control in equids. The management groups were as follows: no removal of faeces from pasture, manual, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture and automatic, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture (using a mechanical pasture sweeper). From turn-out onto pasture in May, monthly faecal egg counts were obtained for each donkey and the dataset subjected to an auto regressive moving average model.<p></p> Results: There was little to no difference in faecal egg counts between the two methods of faecal removal; both resulted in significantly improved cyathostomin control compared to the results obtained from the donkeys that grazed pasture from which there was no faecal removal.<p></p> Conclusions: This study represents a valuable and unique assessment of the effectiveness of the removal of equine faeces from pasture, and provides an evidence base from which to advocate twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture as an adjunct for equid nematode control. Widespread adoption of this practice could substantially reduce anthelmintic usage, and hence reduce selection pressure for nematode resistance to the currently effective anthelmintic products.<p></p&gt

Novel markers of liver fibrosis

With chronic liver disease rising, the need to stage of liver disease and fibrosis accurately is paramount as it helps guide therapy and informs prognosis. Liver biopsy is a flawed gold standard, associated with morbidity and mortality. Application of simple non-invasive tests to assess fibrosis could provide a safe way of identifying patients in greatest need of intervention and of monitoring response to therapy. I have shown in this thesis that transient elastography is an excellent tool for ruling out significant fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. It is easy to learn and successful scanning correlates well with histological liver fibrosis. I have also shown that Use of APRI with a cut off of >1.5-2 and Fib-4 >3.25 can provide prognostic value for overall and liver-related mortality in patients with viral hepatitis. Finally I have assessed a range of potential new biomarkers showing that combining measuring serum levels of the chemokine CXCL10 and the endothelial adhesion receptor VAP-1 can increase the correlation strength with fibrosis stage. Using morphometric analysis of liver fibrosis I show that the same markers can be linked to quantitatively measured fibrosis, removing subjective bias and reducing inter and intra-operator variance in histological assessment

The Rhodes BioSure process in the treatment of acid mine drainage wastewaters

While sulphate-enriched wastewaters are generated in a number of industrial processes, such as tanning, paper manufacture and metals processing, the principal contributors to large-scale pollution from this source in South Africa are the gold and coal mining industries. Both biological and physico-chemical processes, set in train by mining operations, give rise to the oxidation of sulphur species, and the resultant generation of AMD. The Vaal River system is most affected and receives large tonnages of mining related salinity as both direct discharges, and in diffuse runoff flows. The long-term burden of this problem, and sustaining ongoing treatment over the time-frames involved will almost certainly resort to the community inhabiting the area, notwithstanding progressive mine closure legislation and comprehensive regulation governing the polluterpays principle. The volume and time-frame of the AMD problem, and the need for a long-term and sustainable response has focused interest in biological treatment approaches. These have concentrated on active and passive treatment systems, both of which rely on microbial activity related to the biological sulphur cycle. Notwithstanding the reactor type, and the particular treatment approach used, widespread application of active AMD treatment has not yet been seen on any large scale. Singular factors constraining process development are bioreactor design, cost of bioreactor construction, and the cost of the carbon source and electron donor for the biological sulphate reduction process. The SRB are able to utilise only a limited range of small organic molecules. The studies reported here were motivated by the need to evaluate low-cost options and the treatment of high volume AMD flows. This has focussed research activity on bioprocess developments using complex organic compounds derived from waste streams as electron donor sources, and the integration of AMD treatment with other waste treatment objectives. The co-disposal of organic wastes with AMD treatment would enable the development of an 'integrated resource management' approach to the problem, including sustainability of treatment operations over the long time-frames involved. Apart from the cost advantages accrued to waste treatment, the recovery of the treated water as a resource to the wider community provides a potentially important value-added function to the combined operation.KMBT_363Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-i

Inhibition by N,N'-Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide of Translocation of Auxin in Intact Bean Seedlings and its Reversal by Gibberellin A?

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Do Libraries Still Need Book Vendors and Subscription Agents?

Digital content blurs the lines of traditional library acquisition workflows and organization. For example: link resolvers and the loading of order confirmation record files may be handled by systems staff in one organization and by technical services staff in another. Lines are being crossed between acquisitions and interlibrary loan functions, notably with electronic versions of theses and dissertations. Regardless of this blurring of lines, library staff use vendors still in acquiring content for the library collection. The reasons for using vendors have stood for decades, but are changes in the information industry having an impact? In the current environment, what interactions with vendors are most useful to a library

Prolonged anxiety on habituation of the cold shock response

Variation in the cold shock response (CSR) can be explained by physiological factors, habituation; and possibly "psychological" influences. Acute anxiety on cold-water immersion (CWI) increases the magnitude of the CSR in unhabituated volunteers and eliminates the reduction in the response seen after habituation. Recently it was demonstrated that habituation of the CSR includes a significant perceptual component. When the threat of CWI scenario was reduced, anxiety associated with being immersed was also reduced. In contrast, prolonged anxiety during repeat CWIs may prevent habituation. Therefore, it was hypothesized that prolonged anxiety reduces the extent of CSR habituation